Cape Town: International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the entire Olympic Movement on Monday mourned the death of Archbishop and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Desmond Tutu.
“I got to know Desmond Tutu in 1996 as a passionate lover of the Olympic Games and sport. He always emphasised the power of sport to bring people together,” said Thomas Bach, President of IOC.
“In all the meetings I had with him, he always appreciated the great contribution of the Olympic Games to peace and understanding. It was his fervent wish that he could see the Olympic Games being celebrated in his beloved South Africa.”
Tutu was one of the leaders of the candidature of Cape Town for the 2004 Olympic Games. He attended numerous editions of the Games.
In 2002, the Archbishop represented the African continent as one of the bearers of the Olympic flag in the opening ceremony of the Olympic Winter Games Salt Lake City.
He also took part in the flame-lighting ceremony for the Olympic Games Athens 2004 in Ancient Olympia.
